A Sydney Prize is an award that recognizes those who have done great things for their community or made contributions in science or arts. Each prize has different requirements that need to be fulfilled before applying – it is essential that applicants understand which categories of sidney prizes they qualify for before submitting an application.
The Sidney Hook Memorial Award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated national distinction in scholarship, undergraduate teaching and leadership for liberal arts education. The award honors Phi Beta Kappa member Sidney Hook (1902-1989), an outstanding educator and champion of liberal arts.
As well as receiving a cash prize of $10,000, the winner also receives a gold medallion and commemorative certificate as well as being invited to speak at a Triennial Council Meeting during his or her year of award.
Phi Beta Kappa chapters must nominate applicants. A call for nominations will be published a year and a half prior to the Triennial Council in both Key Reporter and General Newsletter; then reviewed by a committee comprised of three senior members of the Society.
This prize will be presented to an essay written in English that most closely meets the high standards of integrity and originality established by Professor Sidney Cox in his teaching and book Indirections for Those Who Wish to Write. It does not limit writing styles but is open to undergraduate students of all kinds.
Shortlisted submissions often comprise multiple submissions; should our judges find them equal in merit, prizes may be divided accordingly. If your entry speaks on behalf of marginalised or vulnerable identities, we encourage you to identify yourself as being part of their community or experience (not mandatory, but it will assist us with fair judging processes).
TurnItIn is used to screen all submissions for academic integrity. In order to be considered for our prize, entrants must sign a copyright release form; we reserve the right not to award it if none of the submissions meet minimum quality requirements.
To be eligible to enter the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize, you must first be a subscriber of Overland magazine. Subscriptions can be purchased from our Shop; full instructions on how to subscribe can be found here. When entering, subscribers receive an attractive subscription rate; shortlisted stories will then be published in Overland with our awards ceremony in May if unable to attend; otherwise results will be posted online shortly afterward.